It's worth the effort - Ashton Court, Bristol

I have just handed in my notice at our local David Lloyd Centre as I have come to realise that I use the gym so rarely that the vast sums of money taken out of my account each month could be spent much more usefully elsewhere. And really, what's the point of going to the gym if you can get your exercise outside in the fresh air. Running in Bristol's Ashton Park (just above the David Lloyd gym) sometimes gives you that added feel-good factor that you really cannot get from staring at a TV screen on a step machine. This is the reward that you get once you have climbed the gruelling zig-zag and then come back down towards Bristol. Fields of wild flowers, a view of the city and it's downhill all the way home.And these photos (taken by my husband Mark, who's much better than me at that sort of thing...and also a fantastic runner, swimmer, cyclist) were taken on a grotty day.



I am feeling a bit guilty about this weekend - it has been slightly decadent. It was Mark's birthday on Saturday and I drank far too much champagne (very nice, but not good for hill training the next day) and on Sunday we had the family around for a big roast dinner (roast duck, roast potatoes, fresh organic local veg, apple sauce from apples in my garden...) and lots of delicious red wine. I suppose it was good poison, but running it out of the system was hard work. Also the weekend has not seen very many carbs (the kids demolished the roast potatoes before I got to them!), so tonight I am going to make a hot and sour soup with noodles - ginger in a soup always makes me feel better. At this moment in time, I have the duck carcasses bubbling away on the stove to make a delicious asian stock, with onion, celery, bay, ginger, star anis, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root and lemon grass. The house smells lovely!